Monthly Archives: July 2015

“You’re a wizard Harry”

J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has created a world in which millions of children lose themselves. Whether it is the setting of the books, which is at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the characters, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermoine Granger, the villains, Voldemort and Draco Malfoy, or the action of the stories readers can’t resist turning the page to discover the new surprises that are in store.

However, while many children enjoy devouring this series it has many parents concerned of the content their kids are reading. Some believe that the stories are too dark for their young kids and want the reading age to be raised. Others don’t want their child reading recreationally about a school where children are brought up in the likes of witchcraft. Do these concerns have any foundation? Are the Harry Potter books something that parents should dissuade their kids from reading?

I had never read a Harry Potter book before this summer; I had only seen the movies. I thought that the movies were pretty light aside from a few choice scenes in certain movies for which even I had to close my eyes. I decided to read through the series and see what my choice would be regarding whether I would want my child to read the series. Based on the movies, I don’t expect there to be too much I wouldn’t want my child to read but I can always change my mind. Book one, here we go.

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“Are you ready Empress?”

I had a mixture of feelings when my grandma handed me “The Accidental Empress”. I never was able to finish a historical fiction book prior to this book and so it is safe to say I was a little hesitant to open the cover. However, if I didn’t crack the surface of the book, I would have missed one of the most gripping stories I have ever read.
                “The Accidental Empress” by Allison Pataki is the story of Elisabeth whose nickname is “Sisi” and she would marry the Emperor Franz Joseph. He was betrothed to her older sister until he laid eyes on her and demanded that he be allowed to marry Sisi instead. Their marriage was filled with love but also hurt and loneliness.
                This book had me promising to put it down after I finish the next chapter and then had me breaking that promise as I insisted on continuing to read to find out what happened next. Pataki did an excellent job to make the reader feel and think through the eyes of Sisi. When Sisi was able to be with the man that she loved, the reader celebrated alongside her. But when Sisi’s mother-in-law took her babies away moments after she delivered them you grieved and cried just as Sisi did.  I don’t think I have ever been on quite the emotional rollercoaster as I have with this book. I regretted reading it so fast because the last page, the last sentence came all too quickly.
                I recommend “The Accidental Empress” to any reader who wants a story to get lost and wrapped up in. For those who like me are generally not fans of historical fiction I will vouch for this book and say that it will have you turning page after page. After finishing this book I want to drive to a bookstore and start on the second book that she read titled “The Traitor’s Wife”. I hope all of you give this book a chance and when you finish the book I know you will feel the same joy and despair the moment I read the last word.